Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Suriname instead of Botswana, you would:

Health

be 94.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Botswana, 19.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2020.

live 6.8 years longer

In Botswana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022. In Suriname, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.

be 39.7% more likely to be obese

In Botswana, 18.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Suriname, that number is 26.4% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 67.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Botswana, 23.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 7.7% as of 2023.

be 4.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Botswana, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Suriname, however, that number is 70.0% as of 2002.

pay a 52.0% higher top tax rate

Botswana has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In Suriname, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 48.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Botswana, approximately 186.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Suriname, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 20.1% more likely to die during infancy

In Botswana, approximately 25.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Suriname, on the other hand, 30.2 children do as of 2022.

have 24.0% fewer children

In Botswana, there are approximately 19.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 30.4% more likely to have access to electricity

In Botswana, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (93% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Suriname, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 10.8% less likely to have internet access

In Botswana, approximately 74.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Suriname, about 66.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 42.5% less on education

Botswana spends 8.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Suriname spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Botswana Unified Revenue Service, Ministry of Finance.

Suriname: At a glance

Suriname is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 156,000 sq km. First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English in the mid-17th century, Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of African slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975. Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared a socialist republic. It continued to exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government - a four-party coalition - returned to power in 1991. The coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005 and ruled until August 2010, when voters returned former military leader Desire BOUTERSE and his opposition coalition to power.
Read more

How big is Suriname compared to Botswana? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Suriname.or Botswana It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.